Native vs. web

In this topic

ArcGIS software development patterns are similar at a high level across ArcGIS Runtime SDKs and ArcGIS Web APIs. When choosing an approach for creating apps with ArcGIS capabilities, it's helpful to have an understanding of the general differences among native, web, and hybrid apps, as well as the differences in ArcGIS capabilities among native, web, and hybrid apps.

Native—The native strategy offers the best device integration and the most out-of-the-box functionality for offline workflows, but it requires native development skills. You can use the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt to create native apps.

Hybrid—Hybrid strategies use a mix of native components and web app content (HTML, JavaScript and CSS) to build native applications and there are many different ways that this can be achieved. The easiest approach is to embed a web control into a native app and load web content. More advanced approaches include using frameworks (for example, PhoneGap or Appcelerator Titanium) that allow for richer integration with the native platform. You can use Esri’s JavaScript API and the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt in hybrid strategies. The Wikipedia topic on hybrids explain hybrid strategies. These topics provide additional context, that is, Inside Facebook’s mobile strategy by Kurt Wagner, Mashable, and Mobile: Native Apps, Web Apps, and Hybrid Apps, by Raluca Budiu of Nielsen Norman Group.

Web—A web strategy is one in which HTML, JavaScript, and CSS are hosted
on a web server and delivered to the user's device or desktop using its
web browser. This strategy is best if you don't know the devices
your users have and you need to reach a wide audience. You can
use Esri’s JavaScript API in a web strategy.

Includes support for rotation, offset, geodesic symbols, and military symbology, such as 2525C.

Display and animate large numbers of features

Once you have the features, animate their graphics, and maintain smooth and fast map navigation.***

Not recommended

Not recommended

A native app can support millions of features. For web and hybrid, the number of features you can have before performance degrades depend on several factors, such as the browser, but generally 10,000 – 100,000 is the maximum.

Local file based data (shapefiles and imagery) offline

Offline and local access to shapefiles and imagery available through local server (Windows and Linux only)